


The Princess of Atlantica

by jojo_sain



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies), Disney - All Media Types, The Isle of the Lost Series - Melissa de la Cruz
Genre: AK!Uma, Alternate Universe, Descendants 1, F/M, First Descendants, Get ready for a wild ride kids bc this plot is insane, Movie rewrite, also i am not crowning ben unless he is a legal adult, different ages bc there is no way they are ALL 16
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:54:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23481283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jojo_sain/pseuds/jojo_sain
Summary: Have you ever wondered what the story would be like if the roles were reversed? Or maybe just one role was reversed? Take the scrappy captain of the Lost Revenge and read her as the Princess of Atlantica...Uma hates this version of the story.Princess Uma is the daughter to one of the most powerful women in today's political scope, so why does it feel like she is doomed to live a life trapped in her own personal hell? While she watches her best friend be crowned king, she's forced into a future of royal bullshit.Across the water, Harry Hook is a disaster in the making. An outcast in his own family, a pirate without a crew, and a notorious flirt who never stays with anyone longer than one night. As one of the few villain kids selected to go to Auradon, he is less than excited to be in a new environment, but he finds opportunity in the witty Princess who he swears will one day rule over the sea.She wants a better future. He wants to escape his past. Can they save each other before someone blows the popsicle stand?(Takes place during D1)
Relationships: Harry Hook/Uma, Huma - Relationship
Comments: 18
Kudos: 72





	The Princess of Atlantica

**Author's Note:**

> Y'all asked for it, so here it is: Yet another thing I wrote well over a year ago but never published because I wanted to finish the fic first. Well here we are, a long time later, and I still haven't written much more than the first chapter. However, these are very unique times, and I feel like if I have something worth writing, it's worth sharing. Who knows? Maybe publishing this story will finally inspire me to keep writing (We'll see, keeping in mind I now have like three published WIPs and a bunch of One-Shots still in the making, so we'll see how much I write)  
> Anyway, enjoy!

_ Once upon a time, long, long ago…actually, more like twenty years ago, Belle married her Beast in front of six thousand of their closest friends. (I personally don’t believe that bullshit. How can you have six thousand close friends? I get that Beast was a prince and all, but he spent ten years secluded in his castle. I feel like people start to lose touch after something like that.) _

_ Anyway, back to the story. Instead of a Honeymoon, Beast united all of the surrounding kingdoms into the United States of Auradon! He got himself elected king–which is a contradictory sentence in itself–on the premises that he would rule for the protection of the people. To show just how valiant of a protector he was, he rounded up all the villains and their sidekicks and booted them off to a water-bound prison known as the Isle of the Lost with a magical barrier to keep them in.  _

_ King Beast and the other heroes also decided that death was too lenient of a punishment for the villains they all faced. Why should they be able to die and cheat their way out of an arduous atonement? So, Beast added to his Collection of Criminals by having Fairy Godmother and some other powerful mages in the land revive all the dead goons–Gaston, Maleficent, Claude Frollo, you get the idea–and send them to the Isle as well. _

_ No magic, no WiFi, and no way out. Sounds terrible, I know. _

_ Wait, wait! My story is not quite over. _

_ Before all that nonsense, Atlantica had yet to be annexed into the U.S.A. because my mother Ursula, oldest living child of Poseidon and, therefore, Queen of the Seas, strongly believed that her rule over the oceans can prosper separately from the rest of the land-loving lunatics. Beast pleaded to Ursula on multiple occasions (or at least that’s what she told me) in fruitless attempts to bring Atlantica into the custody of Auradon. She was a skeptic. Her father had given her the beloved capital of the seas, and now she was supposed to hand it over to a democratic monarch? No, she wasn’t planning on shaking tentacles on it any time soon. _

_ Then, King Beast created the Isle of the Lost and banished the villains and criminals from his dream continent. Ursula was, in a word, intrigued. You see, Atlantica had been known thus far as the Untouched Kingdom. We never had a villain soil our sacred land (excuse me, water). My mother had become so obsessed with that reputation, and she was starting to fear that someone would come along and take that reputation away from her (an irrational but justified fear, if that makes sense). Beast seemed to offer a way to ensure she maintained that spotless reputation and proved it was effective by subduing a fairy as powerful as Maleficent. Ursula was now more inclined to take Beast up on his offer. _

_ But what’s a deal to a sea witch without additional benefits? My mother knows how to play her cards right, and boy did she play ‘em! She told King Beast that she would yield Atlantica to Auradon’s ensemble if she were named Royal Advisor, a position so prestigious that she outranked every member on the Council of Heroes. Beast was so desperate to get Atlantica in his court that he agreed to her terms. Now Ursula was both Queen of the Seas and Royal Advisor of Auradon. What a champ, am I right? _

_ And then there’s me, Ursula’s one and only heir and next in line to rule the ocean blue. Or at least I  would be the next in line if my conception weren’t so… _ mysterious _. My mere existence is a controversy because my self-sustaining mother never had a husband or a boyfriend or a courtier or even a public love interest. Since only half of my lineage is confirmed royalty, I only have half-royal standing. When I come of age and my mother is forced to yield the queenship, the throne cannot be passed onto me, and my mother’s younger brother Triton would take over as King instead. _

_ As I said before, my mother is obsessed with reputation. She couldn’t bear the thought of her ‘bratty baby bro’ taking the throne away from her side of the family. She claims that she wants me to succeed her as the next Queen of Atlantica for my own benefit, but I know it’s all for her public image. A Queen without a Queen daughter? Practically a scandal! _

_ Oh wait, I  _ was _ a scandal–and still am, by the way–but my mom found a solution that is more than adequate in ensuring my crown but less than consensual on my part. I’ll get into that later. For now, just know that I’m the Princess of Atlantica, and my life is just one big public eye-sore. _

_ All this talk of crowns and successions brings us to where our story begins… _

* * *

“Why the long face, Beasty Boy?” Uma asked in boredom from her place on the couch, where she was reading the most recent issue of Atlantica Monthly. She didn’t actually care about the moronic garbage all the flimsy-finned gossipers wrote about, but more than often would there be an article criticizing some minuscule thing she did or overanalyzing a random part of her personal life. She wanted to keep up with herself. Sometimes it told her stuff even she didn’t know.

Crazy, right? It’s like people _lie_ in these things!

Prince Ben–King Adam’s son and soon-to-be king himself–was standing on a pedestal while a royal tailor took all sorts of measurements. His royal blue suit still had random white stitches left about where the tailor hadn’t finished his work. Ben was looking out the window with a crestfallen expression, and Uma couldn’t help but question her normally cheerful friend’s sudden loss of spirit.

“Nothing,” he mumbled unconvincingly in reply. Uma closed her magazine and turned her full attention to him. Whatever he had going on was far more interesting than that trash. “I’m just thinking about how I’m going to tell my parents about my proclamation.”

“You mean the Isle one?” He nodded at her question, and she sighed. “Well, I wouldn’t blame them if they freaked out a little. These are kids from the Isle of the Lost we’re talking about.”

“Yeah, but those kids haven’t done anything to deserve that life,” Ben pressed, still looking out at the Isle with guilt in his eyes. He stepped off the pedestal to move closer to the window, and the tailor scowled in displeasure but remained silent. “I just feel like–“

“You’ve already given me the speech, Ben,” Uma cut him off before he could continue his spiel. Then, she stood from the couch and walked over to him before placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “And I’ve already told you that your idea has sound logic. Your parents are reasonable people. I’m sure they’ll support you completely after you explain it to them.”

“I hope you’re right,” he replied, but she could hear the small amount of doubt in his voice. Truly, it wasn’t his parents he had to worry about; it was her mother. When Ben is crowned king, he’ll be able to pick his own advisor, but Ursula remains the Royal Advisor until he chooses the next one. If he didn’t make his proclamation sound totally safe and foolproof, she’d use every loophole and power in her arsenal to make sure those villain kids never leave the Isle.

Someone tapped Ben on the shoulder, and he finally tore his eyes away from the window to turn to the tailor. The wiry blond man gave Ben an imploring look, and Ben nodded in silent agreement to go back to the pedestal. Once he was up there again, the tailor moved Ben’s arm up to be perpendicular to his body and stretched his measuring tape along the length of it. No later did Ben’s attention immediately drift back to the window.

Uma crossed her arms and turned to walk away, but she found herself stopped by what she saw in the mirror. Her reflection was a petite girl with dark skin in a teal dress–the same thing she always saw in a mirror. However, today her reflection seemed to echo back at her all of the rumors she’d heard or read about herself. Her head full of long, tiny box braids–some kind of magical manifestation of her mother’s octopid roots. The gold bracelets and rings that adorned her hands–bribes taken from no-named politicians to exploit her mother’s influence on the king. The nautilus shell necklace–rumored to be imbued with dark magic, thus dooming her to one day become a villain. The fact that her preferred color is teal and not purple like her mother–some kind of hint to her father’s identity.

_ All lies. _

But what did she know? It’s just her life. Most of her decisions weren’t her own to make anyway.

“How is it possible that you’re going to be crowned king next month?” boomed the powerful voice of Ben’s father. “You’re just a baby!” 

Uma turned away from the mirror to see King Adam walking in with Queen Belle on his arm and Ursula a respectful distance behind them. Uma straightened herself out, making sure that her mother had no qualms with her appearance before the school day even began.

“He’s turning eighteen, dear,” Belle reminded her husband.

“And it was you who designated that age when he was born, Your Majesty,” Ursula pointed out with a hint of disapproval that went unnoticed by the king. 

“Hey, Pops,” Ben smiled at his parents while the tailor finished measuring his head and moved to hem the bottom of his blue slacks. Uma stepped forward so that she was beside the pedestal and folded her hands at the front of her dress.

“Eighteen!” Adam emphasized in utter disbelief, disregarding Ursula’s comment about it being his decision all along. “Far too young to be crowned king. I didn’t make a good decision until I was…” He paused to think. “…forty-two!”

“Uh,” Belle interjected, one hand on her hip while the other held a blue shawl she had picked up. “You decided to marry me when you were twenty-eight.”

“Well, it was either you or a teapot,” Adam joked, giving Ben a sly wink. Ben chuckled at his father’s humor, and even Uma couldn’t refrain from unveiling a smirk. Her cold-hearted mother, on the other hand, rolled her eyes at the royal couple.

Belle raised her eyebrows in disbelief, but Adam quickly diffused the situation by calmly assuring her, “Kidding.” Belle shook her head at him, but she understood it was all a jest. Adam better realize her value by now because, without her, he’d still be an angry furball.

“Mom, Dad, Ms. Ursula,” Ben addressed the adults in the room, trying to take a step forward but stopping when the tailor made a reprimanding tick. He shuffled his hands in front of him nervously and looked to Uma with a fleeting look in his eye. She gave him a curt nod of encouragement, and he took a deep breath before facing the adults once more. “I’ve chosen my first official proclamation.”

Ben’s parents exchanged impressed looks at their son’s declaration. Even Ursula appeared interested. Ben cleared his throat and put his hands at his sides. Uma kept her eyes on their parents, gauging their physical reactions as he explained, “I’ve decided that the children on the Isle of the Lost be given a chance–“ He took a deep breath. “–to live here in Auradon.

Belle dropped her shawl. Adam dropped his smile. Ursula dropped her neutral facade and scoffed in disbelief.

Ben noticed their less-than-enthusiastic responses and stepped forward, unable to stand still any longer. The tailor opened his mouth to protest, but Uma glared at him, effectively shutting him up while Ben went on. “Every time I look out to the Island, I feel like they’ve been abandoned.”

“For a very good reason, Prince Benjamin,” Ursula pointed out, stepping forward with a regal air about her. Ben stiffened under her stern glare, but Uma took her place beside him to give him the assurance that he wasn’t alone against the adults. “Those kids have had only their parents as an example. They grew up to be exactly like them.”

“But that wasn’t their choice,” Ben reasoned, looking to Uma for support. She nodded in agreement before staring at her mother with an urgent expression. She didn’t need to express herself verbally to help Ben get a point across to Ursula. As a matter of fact, Ursula was the one who taught her that.

“Ben,” Adam said, his voice straining from incredulity. “The children of our sworn enemies…living among us?”

“Well, we start with a few at first,” Ben explained. “Only the ones who need our help the most.” 

Uma thought this was the most logical part of his argument. Slow integration of the villain kids meant less chance of the situation becoming too much for Auradon to handle. Ben smiled with pride. “I’ve already chosen them.”

“Have you?” Adam questioned, his tone intimidating. Belle stopped his advance with a tender hand on his arm.

“I gave you a second chance,” she reminded him, and Adam's hard features melted into a mixture of guilt and sadness. Even Ursula had now resigned herself to hearing the prince’s full plan. Uma looked up at Ben and saw his Adam’s apple bob nervously. He was starting to freeze up. Uma knew what she had to do.

“I helped him pick the first kids,” she admitted, braving the incredulous glare her mother gave her. It took some of the heat off of Ben, so he was able to find his voice again.

“Yes, we spent some time searching through profiles on each person born on the Isle,” Ben said, looking briefly at Uma before turning back to their parents. His voice picked up momentum and excitement, showing just how hopeful he was for this plan. “I sent some royal scouts there last week to collect a consensus on them, and Uma and I picked a handful of new students to start classes at Auradon Prep.”

“Who are their parents?” Ursula inquired skeptically, crossing her arms over the front of her black blazer. Her attire as a Royal Advisor was typically very businesslike, primarily consisting of black and purple pantsuits. It never took away from her very-much-royal attitude.

Ben looked to Uma to start, so she cleared her throat and answered, “Well, we chose a son of Cruella de Vil.”

No reaction. That wasn’t great for the hopeful teenagers, but it wasn’t necessarily bad either. It was a good start.

“A son of Jafar,” Ben added. Still no reaction from either of their parents, but Uma was sure they were panicking inside.

“A daughter of Evil Queen.” Uma turned to Ben and waited for him to take his turn. They had two kids left to name, and Uma knew which one she would have to save Ben from announcing. That left him the worst of them all, from a grand perspective. He put his hands at his sides and took a deep breath, preparing himself for the expected uproar.

“A daughter of Maleficent.” 

“MALEFICENT!” Adam roared, unable to contain his objection any longer. “She’s the worst villain in the land!” The tailor squeaked in fear behind Uma, and she heard him pick up his things and move to evacuate immediately. The two guards at the doors shut the entrance to the room with them on the other side, leaving Ben and Uma alone with their parents. 

“Dad, just hear me out–“ Ben pleaded.

“I won’t hear of it,” Adam declared, holding up a finger to silence his son. He then pointed that same finger out the window. “Their parents are guilty of unspeakable crimes!”

“But their children are innocent!” Ben countered, his voice cracking slightly as he stressed his point. “Don’t you think they deserve a shot at a normal life?”

Adam was silent. Belle was silent. Ursula–who preached against idle prattle yet loved to hear herself talk–was silent.

“Dad,” Ben implored King Adam, and Uma gave the grown man a pleading look from behind her friend. The King’s resolve faded as Ben’s words started to sink in.

“I suppose the children are innocent,” Adam whispered, a look of shame briefly crossing his features.

“I’m so glad you agree, Pops.” Ben smiled at his father before turning to Uma, silently begging her to take the reins and say what Ben knew he couldn’t.

“Because there’s more,” she continued right off of Ben’s sentence. She took a deep breath. “We’ve also decided to bring the youngest son of Gaston.”

Belle gasped, and Adam growled before wrapping a protective arm around his wife. Uma kept her appearance as composed and professional as possible, though now she knew why Ben didn’t want to break this news to them himself. Adam hated Gaston with a fiery mixture of jealousy and protective anger. 

“We felt this was necessary,” Uma continued. “If we were to invite a group of villain kids without one of Gaston’s children, we feared how the rest of the kingdom might react.” Adam and Belle’s expressions seemed to reflect understanding. “If the other heroes feel threatened by their enemies’ kids being here, and you didn’t bring a child of Gaston’s, they might feel like you as a family are afraid of your own laws. However, bringing one of Gaston’s kids shows that you are sympathetic to their worries.”

Belle nodded slowly, and Adam looked down, his brow furrowed in deep thought. Ben was watching them attentively. He was very sensitive to their reaction, especially since this was his first proclamation and they were his parents. Ursula was uncharacteristically silent, a thoughtful expression on her face. Something told Uma all three of them still weren’t totally sold on the plan.

“At the end of the day, they’re all kids like Ben and me,” Uma added, trying to appeal for her friend’s idea. Ben looked to her with gracious eyes, knowing that if anyone could sway these adults out of their self-conserving mindset, it was a smooth-talking sea witch. “We doubt they could bring any real danger to the kingdom.”

“But what if they grew up just like their parents?” Ursula conjectured.

“It’s like Uma said,” Ben answered her. “They’re kids, and they’re impressionable. I hope to show them a better world, one without evil.”

“Ursula,” King Adam interjected, and the woman in question turned to look at him with resistance etched into her features. He pulled his glasses from his coat and eased them onto his face. “I believe this proclamation comes with sound judgment, and as long as we take proper precautions, it can be successful.”

“And if it’s not successful?” Ursula inquired with dread in her voice. She turned back to Ben, expecting an answer from him since this was his idea to begin with. Ben swallowed hard.

“Then we’ll send them back,” Ben answered earnestly. “But we must give them a fair chance first.”

Ursula scanned the room and found that she was the only one who still had reservations against Ben’s proclamation. After a very long pause where they all anxiously awaited her answer, she reluctantly agreed, “Fine, we can give the villain spawn a chance.”

“Fantastic,” Ben smiled, thrilled to have the support of both his parents and the Royal Adviser. Uma was proud of him, too. Not many are able to sway the iron judgment of her mother.

Their parents turned to leave, but Ben called them back, “Wait, there’s something else.”

They faced Ben again, and now Uma was equally as curious as them. As far as she knew, Ben explained his proclamation in its entirety. Whatever he was about to tell them was something he decided without her help.

“Or rather someone else,” Ben corrected with a nervous chuckle. “I’ve also chosen the son of Captain Hook.”

Ursula’s eyes snapped wide open, and Uma’s expression mirrored hers. She was generally open to Ben’s proclamation, but even she drew the line somewhere. What could have possibly given Ben the idea that any kid of Captain Hook’s would be a good idea?

“Prince Ben, I will _not_ stand–!” Ursula began.

“I’m afraid it’s already been done, Miss Ursula,” Ben cut her off in a calm voice that still emitted respect. Uma was stuck in a stunned state by his surprise reveal. “I’ve already sent messengers to the Isle to alert the six new students of their transfer, and I’ll be sending a limo tomorrow afternoon to pick them up.”

Ursula was so consumed with frustration that she couldn’t even make words to scold Ben with. Instead, she looked to his parents in utter disbelief. “You’re seriously going to let him go through with this? A _pirate’s_ son?”

“If it’s already been done, Ursula, I don’t see how we cannot,” Adam stated professionally, though a small smirk gave away how impressed he was by his son’s initiative. “And a pirate’s son is to you as Gaston’s son is to me. This will only help us both if this succeeds.”

Ursula then looked to Belle for support only to receive a similar expression as Adam’s. Then, she turned on Uma, who could only yield a shrug to convey that she had no clue of Ben’s latest addition.

Ursula set her jaw and put her scrutinizing glare back on Ben. If looks could kill, Ben would be two thousand leagues under the sea right now. After a long pause, she stated in a deadly cold tone, “I hope this plan of yours works out, Your Highness, for Auradon’s sake.”

With that, she turned to gracefully strut out of the room, slamming the doors a little louder than necessary. 

* * *

_ Yep, that’s my mother! In all her stubborn, micromanaging glory. _

* * *

Queen Belle approached Ben with a warm smile and pulled the lapels of his jacket taught over his shoulders. Her brown eyes met his, and she whispered proudly, “Well done.”

Belle returned to Adam’s side, and the happily married royal couple made their exit from the room as well. Once it was just Ben and Uma in the room, he let out a deep breath and turned to the princess beside him with an excited expression.

Uma thumped his forehead.

“Ow!” he whined, rubbing his forehead. His face screwed up in confusion. “What was that for?”

“A son of Captain Hook?” Uma echoed his surprise addition incredulously. “Really, Ben?”

“What’s wrong with that?” he asked, removing his hand from his face.

“Hook’s a pirate,” she annunciated. “Pirates are villains of the sea. They are manipulative and tricky and merciless. Are you trying to end Atlantica’s villain-free streak?”

“You sound just like your mother,” Ben noted, his confusion melting into fondness, which Uma didn’t understand. How could he be so calm when a pirate’s son would be attending their school in less than forty-eight hours? 

Uma whipped around and stormed off to the window, glaring daggers at the view of the Isle. She knew she sounded like her mother. It was her mother who told her pirate’s were the vilest of all villains. It made sense to her. Uma was inherently protective of the sea, and any threat to the depths would rest heavily on her mind. She idly played with the shell on her necklace–something she does when she’s nervous or apprehensive–as she felt Ben move to stand beside her, his hands folded behind him. They remained in an uneasy silence for another moment while they both stared out to the villains’ domain.

“There was a reason why I picked him, you know,” Ben began in an even tone, but Uma still refused to look at him. He took her unresponsiveness as permission to go on. “A pirate is only as powerful as his crew.”

“What’s your point?” Uma retorted, grimacing at the idea of a single pirate coming to Auradon, let alone a whole crew.

“Well, here’s what I know from his file,” Ben divulged. “Of the six kids we chose, he’s the only one who goes to Serpent Prep while the others all go to Dragon Hall.”

“So?”

“So if he has a crew,” Ben went on. “They won’t be with him while he’s adjusting to Auradon. Secondly, he’s the only son of Captain Hook, and he has two sisters. According to our sources, his sisters both have their own ships while he jumps between them and the Jolly Roger.”

“Again, I’m missing your point.”

“My point is he’s an outcast,” Ben concluded, and Uma finally looked up at him. “Both in his family and in this trial group. He won’t be a pirate in Auradon, Uma, and he’ll have no reason to be. We’ll show him and the others that there is a better way.”

Ben’s expression held such determination that Uma desperately wanted him to be right. She wanted their plan to succeed, and she even wanted to see this pirate reform into a decent person, however that may look. Ben would be a great leader, Uma knew that for certain. This first proclamation would prove what she already knew to the rest of Auradon.

“Ben?”

“Hm?”

“What would you have done if our parents said no?” Uma inquired with a tricky smirk. “You said you already dispatched the messengers.”

“That may have been a bluff,” Ben confessed, and Uma snorted in amusement. Ben scratched his neck sheepishly. “I kinda just said that to shake your mother off.”

Uma shot him an impressed stare. “Wow, I would not have expected that from you, Beasty Boy.”

“You’ll find I’m full of surprises,” Ben replied with a confident flick of his eyebrows.

Uma rolled her eyes, and both teens went back to looking out the window. While Ben gazed upon the island, Uma focused on their faint reflection in the glass. He was twirling his beast-head ring around his finger. Uma looked down at her own fingers, adorned in a variety of rings, but she narrowed in on one silver ring in particular, decorated in elaborate carvings, with an intricately cut diamond sitting on the band.

“Ya know, sometimes I really wish it was you,” she mumbled dejectedly, spinning her silver ring around her ring finger. She felt Ben’s eyes on her as he wrapped a reassuring arm around her shoulder.

“I know you do,” he comforted, knowing what she was talking about without needing her to explicitly say it. He added in a joking manner, “And I’m flattered, but I’m not into you like that.”

“Shut up, Ben,” Uma drawled as she elbowed him in the chest. A laugh betrayed her attempt to act annoyed. “I’m not into you like that either, but at least I like you and can tolerate being around you.”

“Come on, Prince Eli’s not that bad,” Ben coaxed, trying to lighten the mood. “What’s so intolerable about him?”

“Nothing that I know of,” Uma admitted sheepishly. “He’s the perfect prince, and everything he does has to be perfect, too, but that’s the problem. We’ve been ‘dating’ for a year–“ she used air quotes to emphasize her point. “–and now we’re engaged, and I don’t even know enough about him to know his flaws and quirks. No matter how hard I try, I just can’t be comfortable around him.”

“Yeah, sometimes I feel that way about Audrey,” Ben admitted, and Uma looked up at him with newfound interest. “I mean, she’s nice and all, but I realized the other day on our picnic that I don’t really know her.”

“Y’all have been dating since you were six.”

“Which makes it all the more beguiling.”

“No one says beguiling, dude.”

They shared a quick laugh that fell into a brief, uneasy silence. Uma was the one to break it.

“Can’t we just break up with them and elope?” she suggested, mostly joking but somewhat serious. Ben chuckled and shook his head, but Uma persisted. “This could work for both of us. You want a girlfriend who you actually know. I want a life partner I can stand to be around.”

“And who’s in line to be a king,” Ben reminded her.

“That’s more to satisfy my mother than me,” she said, waving her hand dismissively.

* * *

_ That’s it, folks! That’s how my mother plans to restore my royal status: marry me off to a king. And when my mother sets off to do something, she gets it done, even if she hasn’t to swim out to the coldest seas in all the land...  _

_ Okay, back to the story. _

* * *

Ben offered Uma an apologetic smile and sighed. After a brief moment of silence, he eventually said in a low voice, “Unfortunately, our parents didn’t give us any choice in the matter.”

“And boy does that suck,” Uma added, looking down at her ring again.

“But,” Ben went on, pulling Uma’s attention back to him. “We don’t have to be like them. We’re giving the children of the Isle a chance to choose, so that’s an improvement, right?”

The corners of Uma’s mouth twitched upward at the hopeful gleam in Ben’s eye, and she muttered, “I guess you're right.”

The pair spent another minute staring out the window until Ben pulled his arm from Uma’s shoulder and said, “I should probably go find the tailor. I’ll be back in a few.”

Uma nodded in response as he turned to leave. She watched him exit the room through the polished wood doors, his unhemmed pants dragging at his heels. Then, she looked back out to the Isle, where she knew a small group of teens was getting ready to shake Auradon to its core.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope that serves as a good start to what should be a very interesting story! I have the whole plot thought out, I'm just, ya know, not writing it at the moment. BUT LIKE I SAID, I may come back to this in the future, especially if I get good feedback, so make sure y'all let me know what you think in the comments. I love you all, and I hope you're staying safe! -Jojo, who ate brownies for breakfast, I need better food


End file.
